Thill-support.



Y Patented Apr. lo, |900. E. P. CURREY A. A. DAVIS. THILL suPPonT.

(No Model.) Y

' (Application' led Jan. 81900.)

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ENOS I). OURREY AND ANGUS A. DAVIS, OF PERRY, OKLAHOMA TERRITORY.

"lHlLL-S'UPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 646,960, dated April 10, 1900. Application filed January 8, 1900. Serial No. 734. (No motlel.)

To all wiz/m t may concern:

Be itknown that we, ENs P. OURREY and ANG-Us A. DAVIS, citizens of the United States, residing at Perry, in the county of Noble and Territory of Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Thill-Support,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to thill and tongue supports, and has for its object to provide an improved device of this character to be normally carried by a vehicle, so that the tongue or thill may be elevated upon the coupling with the vehicle and conveniently engaged with the support to hold the tongue or thill in a substantially-upright position. It is furthermore designed to mount the device upon the coupling between the tongue or thill and the vehicle, so that the device may automatically engage the thill when it is elevated, and finally to provide for adjusting the device so as to accommodate the latter to various types of tongues and thills.

lVith these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings,and particularly pointed outin the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side eleva tion illustrating the application and operation of the present support. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a thill-support constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings are designated bylike charac ters of reference.

The present invention is in the form of an attachment to any common or ordinary thillcoupling, which latter comprises the usual substantially U-shaped axle-clip 1, having the opposite screw-threaded shanks or arms 2 and the opposite bearing-ears 3, which extend forwardly from the front side of the clip and are provided with the transversely-ahmed eyes orperforations 4 for the reception of the thill-bolt 5. As illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the axle-clip embraces the axle 6 in the usual manner and is held thereto by means of the plate 7, which is provided with perforations for the reception of the Shanks or arms 2 and tits snugly against the under side of the axle. Suitable nuts S are applied to the threaded shanks 2v to bind against the under side of the plate 7, and thereby hold the latter against the axle.

The thill 9 is of any common or preferred form and is provided with the usual thill-iron 10, the eye of which is received between the opposite bearing-ears 3, so that the thill-bolt 5 may connect the thill-iron to the axle-clip in the ordinary manner. It is preferable to provide a substantially U-shaped bracket 11, which is located adjacent to the lower end of the thill and upon the rear side thereof, the opposite ends of the bracket being held to the thill by means of the fastenin gs 12, which also secure the thill-iron 10 to the opposite or front side of the thill.

In carrying out the present invention the rear end of the plate 7 is provided with a pendent arm or extension 13, which is provided with a vertical series of perforations or openings 14. Located at opposite sides of the arm or extension are the opposite clamping-jaws 15, which are adjustably secured to the arm by means of a fastening 16, which passes transversely through the jaws and is designed to register with any one of the perforations 14, so that the jaws may have a ver tical adj ustment to accommodate the support to thills of different types. The jaws iiare outwardly and extend a suitable distance above the upper end of the arm or extension, the upper free end of each jaw being bent transversely inward, so as to form a lateral shoulder 17, and the extremity of the jaw is then bent outwardly, as indicated at 18. At the outer side of each jaw 15 there is provided a leaf-spring 19, having its lower end secured in place by the single fastening 16, which also secures the jaws, and said spring extends in longitudinal engagement toward the upper end of the jaw, so that the inner ends of the transverse shoulders 17 are in mutual engagement. Thus it is apparent that the jaws are yieldingly held in position IOO and may be readily separated by any object forced between the opposite guide-lips 18.

To support the thill in an upright position, itis merely necessary to elevate the thill upon its coupling with the vehicle un til the bracket 11 engages with the opposite guide-lips 18 and forces the jaws apart, so that said bracket may pass below the shoulders 17, after which the latter will beautomatically brought into contact by the springs 19, and thereby hold the thill in its upright position. The thill may be readily released from the support by moving the former forwardly upon its pivotal connection with the vehicle.

As indicated in Fig. lof the drawings, it will be seen that the thill rests upon the upper side of the axle, in the upright position of the thill, so that said axle forms a support for the thill and the spring-jaws are relieved of any strain and serve merely to prevent accidental forward movement of the thill.

What is claimed iss- 1. The combination with an axle, of an axle-clip embracing the axle, a tliill pivotally or hingedly connected to the front side of the clip, and provided with abowed bracket upon the upper side thereof, a plate connecting the ends of the clip, au arm pendent from the rearv end of the clip and in rear oi the axle,

and a pair of vertically-adjustable springjaws carried by the pendent arm and extending above the latter, and to embrace the bracket on the thill in the elevated position thereof.

2. The combination with an axle, of an axleclip having a plate connecting the opposite ends thereof, a pendent arm at the rear end of the plate and in rear of the axle, and also provided with a vertical series of perforations, a thill pivotally or hingedly connected to the front side of the clip, and having a bowed bracket upon the upper side thereof, and a pair of spring-jaws embracing the pendent arm, and having a removable fastening for adjustable engagement with the respective perforations in the arm, said jaws projecting above the arm and designed to embrace the bracket in the elevated position of the thill.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto aflxed oursignatures in the presence of two witnesses.

nNos P. CURRY. ANGUs A. DAvIs.

Witnesses:

B. J. BowLEs, N. S. DAVIS. 

